Hal Ketchum has died at the age of 67 from complications of dementia on Monday night, his wife announced. The country singer, a member of the Grand Ole Opry, had also battled Alzheimer’s disease and acute transverse myelitis.
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Ketchum’s wife Andrea made the announcement on the singer’s Facebook page. “With great sadness and grief we announce that Hal passed away peacefully last night at home due to complications of dementia. May his music live on forever in your hearts and bring you peace.”
Tributes, both musical and written, were posted across Facebook and other social media sites, including Rodney Crowell, Radney Foster, Leann Rimes and more.
#HalKetchum pic.twitter.com/o2Q9vGIVs0
— Rodney Crowell (@RodneyJCrowell) November 24, 2020
https://t.co/kRR47AeJVC
— Radney Foster (@RadneyFoster) November 24, 2020
When Hal Ketchum sang he packed so much truth and passion into every lyric. His tenor rang so clear. I will miss you brother. Godspeed you home.
“When Hal Ketchum sang, he packed so much truth and passion into every lyric. His tenor rang so clear,” Radney Foster wrote on Twitter. “I will miss you, brother. Godspeed you home.”
Dale Watson replied on Ketchum’s Facebook page : “Loved that guy. So sorry Andrea.”
Mandy Barnett: “I’m so sad to hear this. He was such a sweetheart and a great artist.”
So sad to hear that Hal Ketchum has gone to live amongst the angels. We will miss you down here, Hal! He was such a talent and a dear soul. #riphalketchum
— LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (@leannrimes) November 24, 2020
Kelly Willis: “Rest In Peace, Hal Ketchum. And God Speed. I was so proud and excited to share the Austin City Limits stage with him in 1994.”
Leann Rimes: “So sad to hear that Hal Ketchum has gone to live amongst the angels. We will miss you down here, Hal! He was such a talent and a dear soul.”
Bryan White: “When I first heard “Small Town Sat Night” on the radio I was in high school. I instantly bought it. I was dreaming big during that time & it played a huge role in my excitement 4 wanting 2 make records. Loved Hal’s voice & music. Sad he’s gone. What a talent.”
Ketchum was born in Greenwich, New York and moved to Austin, Texas and began writing songs and performing in the local scene. He signed with Curb Records in 1991 and released two successful albums, highlighted by his distinctive tenor vocals and heartfelt, honest storytelling of life and love. Past The Point Of Rescue yielded the hits “Small Town Saturday Night,” the album’s title cut, both of which reached Number 2 on the Country charts, and “I Know Where Love Lives,” penned solely by Ketchum. Sure Love followed in 1992 and featured three hits: the title cut and “Hearts Are Gonna Roll,” co-written by Ketchum and “Mama Knows The Highway.”
He was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1994.
“There is an indescribable place on that stage where it feels like you are a part of history, a very fine history, and I really like that a lot. I felt the magic of the Opry the first time, and, so, I came to it in amazement.” – Hal Ketchum
“There is an indescribable place on that stage where it feels like you are a part of history, a very fine history, and I really like that a lot. I felt the magic of the Opry the first time, and, so, I came to it in amazement.” – Hal Ketchum
— Grand Ole Opry (@opry) November 24, 2020
Thank you, Hal❤️ pic.twitter.com/MBIolt6srd
Ketchum was diagnosed with a neurological disorder called acute transverse myelitis, an ailment of the spinal column, in 1998. The disorder left him without the use of the left side of his body, and he had to relearn how to walk and play the guitar.
Behind The Song: Past the Point of Rescue
His last album, I’m The Troubadour, was released in 2014 via Music Road Records. In advance of that album he said: “I like to say that I’ve been successfully misunderstood for 30 years. I mean, I was a cabinetmaker from Gruene, Texas. I got a record deal and I had a number one record out of the box, and suddenly I was a ‘country’ singer,”
“The genre served me very well, and I’m really grateful for the opportunities that the country music world brought to me. But creatively, this record was a really beautiful departure for me. It’s really opened me up again”
